Hungary has signed new agreements to make sure its continued entry to Russian power
ByJUSTIN SPIKE Related Press
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary signed new agreements Tuesday to make sure its continued entry to Russian power, an indication of the nation’s persevering with diplomatic and commerce ties with Moscow which have confounded some European leaders amid the battle in Ukraine.
Talking at a information briefing in Moscow, Hungarian International Minister Peter Szijjarto stated Russian state power firm Gazprom had agreed to permit Hungary, if wanted, to import portions of pure gasoline past the quantities agreed to in a long-term contract that was amended final yr.
The worth of the gasoline, which might attain Hungary via the Turkstream pipeline, could be capped at 150 euros ($163) per cubic meter, Szijjarto stated, a part of an settlement that may permit Hungary to pay down gasoline purchases on a deferred foundation if market costs go above that stage.
Szijjarto’s journey to Russia’s capital was uncommon for an official from a European Union nation. Most members of the 27-nation bloc have distanced themselves from Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine and sought to wean their international locations off of Russian fossil fuels.
The Hungarian authorities has lobbied closely within the EU to be exempted from any sanctions imposed on Russian gasoline, oil or nuclear gasoline, and likewise has threatened to veto proposed EU actions in opposition to Moscow.
Szijjarto is likely one of the solely officers from an EU nation to have met with Russian officers in Moscow because the battle in Ukraine started greater than a yr in the past. A February journey additionally made the minister the primary senior official from an EU nation to go to Belarus because the nation’s authoritarian president, an ally of Putin’s, initiated a harsh crackdown on opposition in 2020.
Whereas in Moscow, Szijjarto met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Power Alexander Novak and the chief government of Russian state nuclear power firm Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev. In the course of the information briefing, he insisted that entry to Russian power provides was essential for Hungary’s safety no matter political concerns introduced on by the battle.
“So long as the difficulty of power provide is a bodily subject and never a political or ideological one, prefer it or not, Russia and cooperation with Russia will stay essential for Hungary’s power safety,” Szijjarto stated.
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Observe AP’s protection of the battle in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-war